Utica Police Chief Pylman retiring with $250,000 payout

Police Chief C. Allen Pylman will be paid about $250,000 to retire after leading the city police department for nearly seven years.

Renee Gamela

Police Chief C. Allen Pylman will be paid about $250,000 to retire after leading the city police department for nearly seven years.

The largest portion of the payout— $168,003.84 — will be for compensatory time, or overtime, Pylman built up, according to the retirement agreement.

The chief’s contract did not require the city to pay him for the accumulated comp time, but it has been the past practice of the city with police employees, Mayor David Roefaro said.

That practice will cease July 1, Roefaro said, because the city can’t afford the large payouts.

“I had to stop it one way or another,” he said. “Now, you either use your comp time or you lose it.”

Pylman, 59, also will receive funds for vacation, sick, holiday and personal time he accrued during his time with the department. He will walk away with more than $187,000 after taxes, and his last day is Friday.

Public Safety Commissioner Daniel LaBella will act as interim police chief until a permanent replacement is found, Roefaro said Tuesday during a news conference.
SegPylman, who was not present at the news conference, said city officials approached him about retiring earlier this month.

“There’s a new administration, and they do things differently than we’ve been used to, which is their prerogative,” Pylman said Tuesday at the police station.

“I’ve been considering moving on. In any event, this can be a stressful job and they approached me two or three weeks ago to consider an offer, and everything seemed right so I took it.”

Pylman became chief in August 2001 during then-Mayor Tim Julian’s tenure. Pylman was a 29-year veteran with the state police before he became Utica’s top law enforcement official.

The chief’s employment contract doesn’t expire until 2019 — the same year Pylman turns 70, which is the age state law mandates he retire.

Pylman will receive:

* Compensation for 60 vacation days, 123 sick days, three holidays and one personal day. That total is $81,814.37, and was part of his contract agreement.

* Money for his accumulated compensatory leave time, of which he accrued 563 days. He agreed to be paid for 384 days, totaling $168,003.84.

Though the comp time is not in Pylman’s contract, the city’s legal department determined it would likely lose a court challenge, Roefaro said. Then, the settlement would probably be larger and include court fees, he said.

Former police Chief Benny Rotundo got a payment for accrued comp time, as did many before him, Roefaro said.

More recently, when former Deputy Chief Richard Stemmer retired in April he was paid $53,734.96 for hours he built up. Stemmer’s payment after taxes was more than $36,000, according to the city Comptroller’s Office.

Pylman’s payout is not a financial issue for the city, Budget Director Tony Arcuri said. There are other areas of savings, and Arcuri said it is financially beneficial to settle the contract now.

If Pylman remained chief through 2019, Pylman’s payout would have been even higher, Roefaro said. And, he would have continued to earn his salary, which is $113,753 annually.

The settlement agreement between the city and Pylman doesn’t become effective until Friday when the Board of Estimate & Apportionment approves the deal.